In tragedy, vendors see opportunity

Firms pitch security after Tech massacre

In the wake of last month's deadly shootings at Virginia Tech, companies are busy marketing the latest in campus security technology to colleges and universities that have been slow to adopt it.

Schools report an increase in calls from the companies, which are pitching everything from new student messaging systems to advanced surveillance cameras. Many of the companies, in turn, say they have seen a dramatic increase in calls from higher education institutions interested in making improvements.

Such marketing after a tragedy is a touchy subject, but to many of the companies, business is business. Though some are skittish about mentioning the Virginia Teach deaths to push their products, others are not. They are not afraid to tell schools that the world of higher education is behind the times in technological preparation.

"Is this the new America?" asks the Web site of OPC Marketing, referring to the Virginia Tech massacre. "These lives and families will never recover. Is your college willing to pay this high price for lack of preparedness?"

Mike Henochowicz, president of the Dallas-based company, makes no apologies for such a direct message to sell his so-called Spitfire system, in essence an automatic computerized dialer he said could enable colleges to notify students and faculty in a flash.

While some colleges are well prepared, Henochowicz said, many are not. "I think parents are saying, 'What is going on?' We are having parents come to us saying, 'Can you please talk to the school?'"

5 cold-calls in 2 weeks

Larry Arbeiter, spokesman for the University of Chicago, said the university received five calls from security firm vendors in the last two weeks. Usually, there are none, he said. In addition, the university is soliciting information to consider what steps it will take to beef up campus security.

Northwestern University reported a slight increase in vendor calls, but a spokesman noted that the school already was in the midst of updating its systems, with a major new closed-circuit television system to be installed this summer.

Lee Todd, president of the University of Kentucky, said his institution had been looking at new security systems before the Virginia Tech shootings but the tragedy had added urgency. He saw nothing wrong with corporate pitches.

"We are getting more calls from [security vendors]," he said, adding: "It is free enterprise at work."

A spokesman for TechRadium Inc., John Rodkey, said, "I don't think we are trying to capitalize on a tragedy." The Sugar Land, Texas, company sells a system that sends voice and text messages instantly to almost any communications device. The annual cost is $2 to $3 per student for the firm's Immediate Response Information System, he said.

TechRadium has installed IRIS in elementary and high schools in seven Florida counties. According to a spokesman, a few days after the Virginia Tech shootings, this system was used at a school in the Tampa area to quell rumors of a campus shooting.

Can technology save lives?

Security firms contend that modern communication, video and lighting systems would measurably increase campus security and perhaps prevent future tragedies. While reluctant to criticize Virginia Tech's response, some said the school might have had a better chance of saving lives if newer technology had been in place.

Surveillance cameras can be expensive, costing an average of about $2,000 each, said Walker. And colleges are concerned about privacy.

At Virginia Tech, a rush of mobile calls on the day of the killings overloaded the cell phone network when it was most needed, said Paul Langhorst, vice president of GroupCast. The St. Louis company sells a system that can broadcast text messages, which won't clog the network, he said.

"Colleges have been slow to adopt the new technology because the college student is seen as more self-sufficient," Langhorst said. While his company hasn't engaged in aggressive marketing, he said, "this situation has opened up their eyes to the new technology."